Dirtbox Venom mini-buggy upgrade/rebuild!

[mysteryboy28]

This project will be all about upgrading one of my Venom buggies from a swingarm rear end to independent rear suspension, and beefing up the front end with some heavy duty a-arms and some extra bracing. Will also be rebuilding the whole back end of the buggy, adding a nice 11 gallon air tank for a fuel tank, and a new rack.

In the process of finding a new sled motor for the buggy, one with reverse. Current 56hp 480cc motor doesn't have reverse, and that motor may end up on a little one-seater (can you say OVERKILL? lol).

This buggy will be for DIYgokarts.com user greaser, who patiently waited for me to build DIYgokarts.com user mikeprosaucka's Dirtbox Venom buggy.

And so it begins...

 

[SCK]

Do you use cv axles on your buggys?

 

[mysteryboy28]

sure do! cut them down to size, weld on some weldahubs to the ends with 1" bore and 1/4" keyways. so far they've held up great, haven't sheared a key yet!

 

[exenos]

And I was just about to post on your last thread asking what the plan was, then I checked the projects forum. Is this your original buggy your modifying?

 

[mysteryboy28]

yes, this is my demo buggy i'm upgrading/rebuilding. went to the steel yard wednesday and found out that they had deemed my "gold mine" of 1 1/4" tubing to be junk that wasn't selling fast enough (it polished up GREAT with a rust/paint stripper disk), so they got rid of it. they were also out of the large pieces of diamond plate that i use for the floor. so, until they get some new inventory i decided to rebuild my demo buggy with the IRS and beef up the front end, and will be dropping a sled motor with reverse in it. will also be using larger tires, which i already got a set of 24" brand new tires for the front (currently has 21" front, 22" rear). and of course it will get a fresh paint job - black frame with arctic cat green roof/hood/fenders (as close as i can get to that shade of green).

 

[greaser]

Yes! Its my turn wooooo hooooo.

Lol can't wait to see the progress photos.

 

[mysteryboy28]

garage almost clean, buggy starts coming apart tomorrow. yay!

had a wisdom tooth pulled today. that was fun. part of the root didn't come out with the tooth, so the doc had to fight it for a good half-hour with all kinds of sharp tools and a drill. finally got it out. thank god i was numbed up good! got dizzy a couple of times, especially watching all the blood they were slurping up (did the suction tube really have to be semi-transparent?). luckily Big Bang Theory was on the ceiling TV, that helped a bit...

 

[OzFab]

luckily Big Bang Theory was on the ceiling TV, that helped a bit...

Haha, that'll take you mind of any woes

 

[greaser]

Lol ouch yeah that doesn't sound pleasant. God I am getting really antsy I was all good when you were working on the other one now its starting to get to me. Lol

 

[mysteryboy28]

i bought a barrel and barrel stove kit for the garage, for a total of $50, then after a little research figured it would cost over $500 just to install a proper chimney. yeah, i'll pass.

garage is looking good. not perfect by any means, but it's good enough to get crackin' on the buggy. ordering up some more parts tonight, bearings and misc. stuff. meanwhile keeping my eyes peeled for some good rear tires. 24's or 25's will work just nicely.

hopefully the guy comes through with testing the compression on the Yamaha VMax 500 sled this weekend. if all goes well then i'll be making a 5 hour round trip up north to pick it up next week.

 

[greaser]

I use one of the vent less propane heaters in my garage it works great. Yeah the 500 will really make that thing scoot.

 

[OzFab]

(did the suction tube really have to be semi-transparent?)

In a word, yes.

I just got back from the dentist & I noticed he uses pink suction tubes. I assume that's so the patient can't tell the difference between saliva & blood

 

[mysteryboy28]

Buggy 75% disassembled. See my bucket of bolts for how many tedious nuts and bolts I've removed. Fun!

It's my youngest daughter's 7th birthday tomorrow. Having a swimming/pizza/sleepover party for her with about 8 little girls. Yay! Will try to squeeze in some more buggy time fo sho.

Guy with the Yami VMax called back today, compression was 110 and 117. Yeah, no. Too low. He'd never done a compression test before, and did it with a rubber tip tester and pull starting by himself. Told him to get a buddy to help hold the tester or pull, maybe he'd get some better numbers. However, I did get a call from another guy with a '97 Ski-doo Formula 500 that had been beat up in a bump with a tree. He'd already pulled the motor with the intention of putting it in another sled, but saw my wanted ad. So he's gonna check his compression numbers and give me a buzz back.

 

[exenos]

You do realize that the formula 500 is really a 583 or 597 that outs out just a tad under 100 hp right? It's also a liquid.

 

[mysteryboy28]

he said ski doo 500... so i guess we'll find out when i hear back from him.

 

[greaser]

100 HP works for me lol better to have it and not need it.

 

[mysteryboy28]

swingarm with motor removed, rack and "decorative" rack bars removed, removed all wiring and zip ties, and removed the floor.

tomorrow will grind surfaces smooth that were cut today, and commence on trailing arm fabrication. hopefully the new bearings get here soon!

survived my daughter's birthday with some sanity left...

 

[greaser]

Lol well congratulations on survival of the party, I'm not sure if I could have made it and I spent a year in Afghanistan.

 

[mysteryboy28]

Set yet another grinder on fire today.

got most of the unwanted parts cut off today. just a few more front a-arm mount tabs to cut off, and grind things smooth. work got cut short by the 15th grinder i've purchased from Harbor Freight. honestly, i really do give the grinders a run for the money. if i was your "average" user, i'm sure they'd last a LOT longer!

heard back from the guy with the '97 Ski Doo Formula 500 Deluxe tonight. 128 and 130 PSI in the 2 cylinders. Score! looking up the specs it appears that the motor is a 499cc Rotax engine, with about 82hp. not too shabby! told the guy i should be out there in a week or 2 to pick it up. he's not in a hurry to get rid of it, so it's mine if i want it!

 

[landuse]

You would have saved yourself a bunch of money just buying a good grinder from the start